Jason Reinin

Upon completing IGF, I was directly hired into my fellowship position at the Ministry of Finance, full-time. After working an additional year, and with the work experience earned, I was able to earn master's degrees from the London School of Economics and the University of Southern California. After a short stint in the private sector, and because of my previous tenor, I returned to the Ministry of Finance to head up global investor relations at the ministry, based out of the New York office. That's been my position for the past six years. My mentor in 2008 is my boss in 2020!

​

Let's be real: I'm a random Jewish kid from San Mateo, California... and my job is LITERALLY to explain Israel's economy to the world's biggest institutional investors, keep credit rating agencies updated, write English speeches and correspondence for the top echelon of the Ministry of Finance, and whole loads of other crazy things. How incredible is that? And it's merely an extension of my IGF fellowship. I was doing similar versions of all this way back when.

​

Twelve years after my first day of the fellowship, the connections I made are central to my job today. My fellowship put me in an opportune position I couldn't have had back in the US. I would not have my current job without the fellowship - full stop.

​

My fellowship allowed me to contribute in a very real way to building the state of Israel, via sovereign debt issuance, thus giving  a new and concrete form to my strong connection to Israel. Having a real, tangible impact on the state is so incredibly meaningful for me. IGF gave me the opportunity to contribute in this way and it has made my working career a meaningful one. 

​

IGF was the perfect avenue for someone like me. I had already worked for a few years, pro-Israel advocacy defined my college experience, and I had a desire to find out how I could best contribute to the country. I would like potential partners to know that IGF changed my life. It's unique because it really puts you to work doing the actual business of Israel. A fellow is directly helping to build the state. The country is only seven decades old, there is so much building to do and IGF gives you a place and direction to make your mark. And on top of this, you can do so while fully immersed in Israeli culture, history, food, music, and surrounded by friends from all around the world. Some of the fellows to this day I count as great friends.  My time as an IGF Fellow was the most influential and relevant period when looking at my life today.